This video resonates with my experiences. I reached out to a local AAA video game composer who I admire greatly. I simply wrote to him on Facebook and asked if I could be his assistant. He responded that he unfortunately didn’t have any need or time for an assistant in the moment. A couple of months later he wrote me back “Hey, now I actually need an assistant. Are you up for it?” The skill set I have learned has , as you state in video Christian, very little to do with composing music. They include creating kontakt libraries with round robin, sampling, batch processing, audio processing, clear noise cancelling, sound design and correct file naming when handling hundreds of files. All skills that I’m really glad that I now know, but would not have considered to be in the job description before hand. I am also very very careful not to step on anyone’s toes and do help in with some of the composing unless I’m specifically asked to.
I maintain the best way into this industry is to assist for composers several divisions above. This physical commitment not across cyberspace but in person will make you dine at the same table as them and be seen as a face by producers and directors. You will inevitably attend social events and have drinks with other assistants and members of the larger music and sound departments, say the pub after orchestral sessions. This gets you into the world without having to peddle your wares across the mass of the internet. Hence also my assertion that you need to be agreeable.... because once you're in the pub you need to be someone that people like having a drink with.
@@definty If you love what you do then the people you meet will love that too.... when you're down in the pub with the sound and music crew you aint gonna be taking about chicks you're gonna be making jokes about frame and bit rates.... find your tribe.... there's a pint waiting for you.
I must've found myself in a very rare situation where I was OFFERED the job as a composer's assistant. This wasn't because I was brilliant in any way, It was because I made a genuine effort to become friends and really share an interest in what the composer and I liked, which in this case was Max Richter. At the start of next year, I'll be flying out to live in another country to learn from this composer. Even if he isn't very big. Hell, I doubt anyone here would know his name but to me, he got me to where I am today, quite literally. Getting experience with another composer is truly an experience I can't miss out on, hence why I'm taking a leap to move thousands of miles away to work with one. Christian put it best when he said "Just ask", and I keep telling my friends to just make chit-chat with composers they like, when they can. Mainly the smaller ones as I've found they're more accessible.
I'd be very surprised if people that follow this vlog didn't know Max Richter., what a shame that would be! Fair play to you Elliot and best of luck in your move!
00:24 - ouch! just look at how many a-list composers started off as composers assistants and you can see that it's definitely a route to the top. hans zimmer recounts a story of when he left ramin djawadi at the studio one night and came back the next morning to discover that ramin had been up all night composing and was blown away by how great the music was...especially as he didn't know ramin was a musician at the time. i don't know in what capacity ramin had been working for zimmer, but he saw an opportunity to make an impression and i guess the rest is history...
My route to becoming a composer's assistant was through already being a studio (engineering) assistant at a small studio in Manhattan with great kit. The studio owner and producer decided he wanted to take his first holiday in 10 years-leaving me to run everything. The composer was visiting from California (San Fran) and brought with him all these amazing recordings (samples) he'd made of cell doors slamming and other assorted metal clammoring noises from Alcatraz! ... After the success of doing this and crossing over roles (because I was/am also musical and not just a technician) I became a person composers could feel comfortable working with..... ADAT's and all!! ... circa 1995... ha.
13:40 Such an important point, becoming detached from WORK and ditching that 30 seconds which just isn't working, and being comfortable with the process, separates the amateurs from the professionals. A good professional knows he can create something better and has no qualms with setting aside a failing piece and working towards something better.
Great video! This should be required viewing by ALL composer's assistants on their first day on the job. They don't step in to the studio until they've watched this and have taken notes.
I think it was Howard Jones who, when asked what advice he would give to young musicians starting out in the business, said, ‘don’t have a plan B because if you do, you will inevitably end up taking it.’ 35 years ago I had a brilliant opportunity to make music for a living, but I gave up too quickly when obstacles were put in my way and I took a safer option - my plan B. I followed my head instead of my heart. I can’t feel regretful about this because I might not have taken the path I did which gave me two wonderful daughters. However, if you really want something in life, don’t let anything put you off. Believe in yourself and stick at it. You will get there.
I can really relate to what you've said. Going into my senior years at school about 15 years ago music and composition were my absolute passion and yet, after receiving some words of advice to pursue another career, I applied and went to law school. Like you, i wouldn't say i regret that decision as it led to my wife and i meeting and we now have a young family. But with becoming a parent and as the kids start to ask about what we do for a job and if we enjoy it, the desire to be the best role model I can be for our children has me questioning why I didn't follow my dream and passion from an earlier stage. Based on my experience, in years to come I will be the first to encourage them to pursue the thing that they enjoy and have a love for. Leading by example is my justification for attempting to change career path from solicitor to the music profession. I am hoping to be able to work up and further develop my producing and programming skills in my small home studio to a point where I can hopefully be of some use as an assistant. Christian, I only found your channel a few weeks ago and have been binge watching your vlogs since. This is a fantastic resource of information, and the insights you provide are so valuable - thank you!
Mark B This echos with me. I got a job in a small studio in the late 80’s. Still to this day the best job I have ever had. Loved every second of it. However, pressure from my parents to ‘Get a proper job’ eventually pushed me into the career I find myself today. One I don’t enjoy at all. I still do bits and bobs of various music projects but nowhere near as much as I’d like.
You could take Christian's words on people like Olafur, have a closeup on Oscar's heroic pose at 2:29, add music from any "inspiring speech" video here on TH-cam and I'd be motivated to do anything. But this is fantastic. I am currently enrolled in a program where they are including classes in synthesis and sampling, and where one instructor's advice towards getting work was to get out there and network like crazy but not to "just hand out business cards left and right. Make friends, keep showing up to events, and wait." Delayed gratification. So good to hear that advice echoed on this channel, Christian. Now hopefully I can just get the balls up to ask to be an assistant.
Hi Christian... cant express how much I appreciate these insights as a composer who has just finished their degree and embarking on their first commissioned works... the advice is spot on. Many thanks!
It was a Spitfire event (that I almost didn't go to!) that was the catalyst to me being introduced to the composers I work for now. Have learnt buckets in a relatively short time already. Moral of the story...go to everything!
Well done Christian. Always good to see you struggling with the hills and the words. Reminds me there are others out there that are also human and meek and struggling with the day to day. Fab insights. Loving these vlogs 🎶👍🎄
This film was absolutely fantastic, Christian, cheers for putting it up! I have been trying to get a position as a composer's assistant for a while, now, and I have fond out that most composers will stick with people they know, and that makes absolute sense, for the very reasons you list in the film. I can understand that getting a new, unknown person in is terrifying, because, at the end of the day, they do not know who I am. The last composer whom I asked to be an assistant actually thinks I do not need to be an assistant at all, which certainly is flattering, but I have this enormous will to learn about how to become a great Head of Department, first, and, of course, how to improve my tech skills, as well. Another thing that makes it a bit more difficult to land a composer's assistant job, here in the UK, is that the majority of British composers utilise Logic, whereas I am a Cubase on Windows user (I shall be getting ProTools, as soon as the new version will be certified for the latest Windows update). A Mac is out of the question for me as I cannot afford one, at the moment, I am afraid. Right now, I just keep going being a "bedroom recording artist", churning out tune after tune and the occasional album, and being very rubbish at marketing myself.
Awesome been waiting for this. Even tho I don't have the skills yet coming from a hip hop background I started sampling from vinyl will help me some how in the future. You have inspired me with sampling and sound design. This video was grade A. I needed this.
...and you are EXACTLY what a composer can use to bring some X factor to her/his work.... You learn applied composition whilst providing with a tired old soak some welcome zeitgeist.... it is like two people making gravy coming together and suddenly they both make gold!
These last 2 Vlogs have been very good and you have mentioned many things i have encountered as an assistant/Ghost and using assistants. You are getting to some really central issues.
It's interesting how things function differently in different places. I can totally imagine and understand situations where the amount of work and scheduling is so demanding that you'd want to have a person or persons right there in the room, or the next room, within shouting distance. But it really does seem to me the a huge amount of assistance being done out there now is via remote connections. Composers have lists of people they turn to for specific tasks (arranging, copying, laying down instrumental tracks, vocals, horn sections, string sections, etc., etc., etc.). You summon assistance similarly to the way you'd call an Uber or Lyft car. And, rather than have one assistant there who has a mixture of skills of varying degrees (and some holes where the skills don't exist at all), you can connect online with the exact person who can do a killer job at a specific task (booking an hour or two of their time, or perhaps days of their time). For instance, there are fantastic drummers out there with kits already set-up, mic'ed and dialed in. Send them your files with a temp drum track, and they'll cut the real thing for you. This exists for practically any instrument and specialty. So, as an alternative to trying to find a composer who needs an assistant, another career option is to set up and market that remote service that's your specialty. (And, it's something you can do anywhere in the world.)
This is exactly that Christian! That's the points! Thank you to tell the difference as the truth. In our inner artwork-job as composer's assistant, composer, musician, sound technician, we must be meticulous for far... as Lace makers with hands... oh yes, that's takes (also will) several times but, at the end, the results is (t)here and fine. Isn't! Once again thank to you to don't loose the focus from our aim! I remember the first sentence from one my teacher at the Arts University 24 years ago... He said "We are here to slow down, to take time to learn, not spend! If you won't, don't make art, music...". That's still makes sense. Have a nice day Christian.
Great stuff, Christian. i don't know if you realise but this kind of life experience applies across so many disciplines and could easily stand as a lesson in general attitude and approach to getting going.
I think one caveat to add to this, is which of the two options is more viable from where you are geographically. The option of composers assistant just doesn't exist outside a select few cities where the industry flourishes. My experience as a composers assistant from my time in LA has left me with a handful of skills for which there are almost no outlets for in Toronto. On top of that i've noticed that local recording artists with no film credits and a passing interest in film scoring seem to be getting picked over seasoned, or at the very least, amateur composers time and again. From whereI stand the "rockstar" path seems far more likely to allow you to fall into film scoring.
Thank you for the lovely vlog Christian. Sigh 😔....wondering how i could be one, since i’m in Africa. The opportunities are quite few here. Its either we have a few number of composers dotted across africa or its you becoming one. The film industry here doesn’t incorporate the art of film composition into its products as much in comparison to other developed countries. Am really wondering, being this stuck, how do i get out of this one? Tried being my own artist and my work is absolutely unlistenable to the market here 🤣 oh jeez lol
What can you expect in terms of salary? As a scientist (or any other professional) who is learning and looking to break into the music/composing world this does seem like a great way in, but how many composers can afford to pay you? Would many composers require a full time assistant? It seems okay as a weekend commitment (a chance at which I would jump) or as a route for students fresh out of university, but unless it were part time on evenings/weekends, it may not be a viable option for some. Great streams of thought in all your videos.
Informative and inspiring as always Christian - great vlog. I'd be interested to know if you think it's best to first make contact to a composer via phone or email. It seems like calling directly might irk the composer (or more likely, their management). However emails tend to get lost and forgotten about. Any thoughts on this?
Another fantastic video! But you forgot one key thing: location. The population of my country (Finland) is almost half as that of one city (London) in yours. Film composers over here are very rare, they have hard time subsisting their families let alone hire assistants. Ok I can always move can I? No I can't: with three kids and a job in another field shackles me here. I'm left with any opportunities I can find online. Btw could you do a video on pitching?
Been doing both... touring and ghosting. Most people don’t know what it takes to get somewhere in the industry. I can consider myself lucky at present time with gigs all around the world and doing some tracks in the background that end up being used by my favorite gaming blogs. But yes, it’s hard, whatever you choose.
“Welcome to the Shadows” You see, does this take into account the use of technology nowadays. I find that now you would be competing with people from Canada, Norway, etc. There is so much competition out there now, how do you begin to get yourself noticed? To hope you get noticed eventually surely has its limits, considering the amount of people who want the same as you. How to you get into the business, when the business doesn’t know you are there?
Nahos you make yourself be known. And the best way of doing this is relocating yourself in hubs and attending events. Reaching out directly to composers, their agents and being persistent. You will be competing with people who are hugely driven and are prepared to give up everything in order to succeed. It is a simple Darwinian formula be more driven, better qualified, more present, more persistent, more talented, more sociable, more determined and more willing to sacrifice than the next candidate. I have witnessed at close quarter young composers become AAA stars in their field and they have all had the same die hard zeal and razor sharp focus and devil may care attitude to their careers.
Would you say that much of this advice applies to becoming an orchestrator specifically? I'm coming from more of a classical composition background and I think I'd be able to carve out a niche in that specific area, so any insights into that part of the world specifically would be amazing. Thanks for taking the time to make such brilliant content Christian
So I understand the importance of knowing your DAW of choice really well, understanding Kontakt, sampling, mics, playing an instrument well, etc. But I was wondering how important it is to have a good portfolio? Would yourself (or indeed any other composers here) actually pay attention to that or does studio knowledge/ability completely overshadow any talent you may have as a composer? Basically what I’m saying is, am I wasting my time creating a good portfolio when I should really be focusing on other things? Forgetting of course that in the process of creating a portfolio I’ve actually learnt a lot about logic, kontakt, exs24, midi, and a bunch of others things.
As a composers assistant, should one expect to earn livable wages? I was hired as an assistant after university by a previous professor who is a successful orchestrator/moderately successful indie film composer. I feel that I’ve met and exceeded the assistant duties which you’ve outlined in this and previous vlogs, but work has been quite inconsistent and sporadic for the past 1.5 years of doing this. For instance, I would assist with an indie film and see it through to completion, and then not have any work for the next ~2 months before being asked to assist with another project. I am happy to climb the ladder slowly but surely whilst struggling financially, for many years if necessary, if it means accumulating the experience and qualifications necessary to one day reach my goal of being a head of department. I’m wondering if other assistants to composers are having similar experiences though, or if maybe it’s time to seek out a different/more successful composer to assist.
Well said. I mentioned Olafur briefly in my comment from your last VLOG, meaning that these are the people I look up to and admire. Would you say that a good assistant would be one that is happy in the shadows? One that feels more comfortable aiding others reach their goals? I agree with what you said about assistants only knowing 2-4% of what is required, now I want to know what the other 96-98% would be!
Thanks for this video Christian! I find your blogs very informative and helpful for insight into the industry. I'm not sure if I want to be a film composer, but currently I've been releasing my own albums and have just started to get some recognition for my work and I'm starting to get work for video game music composing. Do you have any advice on approaching AAA video game makers?
Thanks for this Christian. Very informative. Coming from a hobbyist background with nothing to offer but enthusiasm and a drive to learn, is it possible to get in with someone locally like yourself as that step into the industry? Sometimes I feel like it's really just up to me to crack on and pray one day that I'll be lucky enough to catch a break. However, I worry that when that time comes I'll be bloody clueless as I've never had first had experience of how it all works, just like you mention in the video. Basically, does anyone really have the time to take someone under their wing and show them the ropes or am I being a bit unrealistic? Thanks.
Hi Christian! Totally different question, but didn't know where else to put it. What does your session look like when scoring, say, a complete half hour or so episode of something? I recently had so little time to score a short documentary that I put the whole film in one logic project and just used the same sounds throughout... And it worked surprisingly well!
Charles Gaskell one of the key reasons i shoot at 4K is you can tilt crop and resize images in the edit without too much loss of resolution. So this is just a post production technique. The headless shot was not intentional!
Anyone want an assistant? Who's professionally a software engineer and a passionate mixing engineer? I found out long ago my calling wasn't my hobby, music production/mixing. Still, my calling is programming and I'm slowly teaching myself to code VSTs and I'm halfway into developing my first commercial plugin :) Just because hat I was studying and doing didn't straight relate to music I found a way to adapt it so it was related. I'm sure you can do this for a lot of jobs it jsut takes a bit of imagination.
I find this interesting, being a composers assistant seems really interesting to me. My problem being that where I am there is literally no composers around, I've made a great effort to try and find some. The very few that I have made contact with never get any work themselves or they do many other jobs to support themselves and don't get time to mentor anybody or have them as an assistant. Something I have been trying to do is actually get in contact with Olafur Arnalds. I really would been interested in having him as a teacher and being an assistant for him if I were able to go to europe in the near future. (Hey Christian if you read this is there a way you could put me in contact with him?)
Alex Evans hi Alex I’m not at liberty to put you in touch with Olafur I’m afraid and I imagine he gets lots of approaches. You’d also need some form of work visa and a willingness to move to Iceland. The best way of approaching composers is directly via their websites or indeed through their management. Being “seen” on the “scene” is also really important I see many successful junior composers break through and onto music crews by attending seminars and queuing up at meet and greets. Going to screenings and awards ceremonies. This for me is why the assertion that you don’t need to be present geographically isn’t correct when applied to breaking into the industry. Where you settle is neither here nor there once you’re established but it is important to recognise where the hubs are and to move to one of those where possible. You must then be prepared to move to wherever these composers will need you which will often not be within these hubs but often just outside. So for me London and LA are destinations you must look to target. Remember that your “competition” so to speak will be made up of highly motivated, highly driven ambitious individuals who will go to great lengths and make huge sacrifices to succeed. Not everyone is cut out to work insane hours, not see friends and family and indeed make great demands on their mental and physical health in order to make it in a cut throat business. To be forewarned of this I think is important and to be convinced it is any different and there is any quick or easy route is to be misinformed and ill advised. I challenge anyone to find me a successful writer in the music industry, whether that be a recording artist or a media composer who hasn’t sweated blood and tears and hasn’t sacrificed and committed so much in order to succeed.
Christian Henson Music thanks for all the info, I have definitely come to terms with a lot of these things and they are definitely all sacrifices I am willing to make. In the meantime as I grow my career I do plan on making connections and putting myself out there. Being from Nova Scotia Canada a few years back we had a huge film tax cut which put quite the damper in the industry here on the bright side I work at a music store, so that has helps getting to talk to a few people in the industry here. But thanks again for the kind words! I’ll definitely be more social in the comments as well!
Is the nomenclature appropriate - I wonder? Given Christian's definition of a composer's assistant, it seems it is part personal assistant and part technician. Even when called to place some dots they are to be "in the style of" the composer - I would contend that is technical not creative. Perhaps something along the lines of "composition technician" or variants would be a more appropriate job position title and the employee's expectations.
In this situation, you are not the composer, you are the assistant, assisting them to achieve their current project. The job is not "composerly assistant", or even "assistant composer". There are roles where the assistant does more of the job than the main person - so an Assistant Organist in a cathedral will do more do-to-day playing of the organ than the main Organist - but generally being someone's assistant is all about looking after the person as much as it is looking after the work.
Great video christian. As a student at university, I would ask the same question about whether or not they're good for this sort of thing or not. I think in many ways the teaching is good, the facilities are amazing. However, the course content can be slightly irrelevant. I found this video immensely helpful, it's helped me gain a new outlook and understand the sort of things i need to be learning and raised the question whether or not I should do a film composition masters or just a composition. Anyway, i'm just saying cheers a lot really so thanks for reading that babble if you did. Peace
Louie Taylor, I completely agree with you when it comes to course content. I’m two years out of uni and I’m hardly applying what I learnt. I was an assistant with a producer for a year and that year was far more valuable.
@@jchepher Precisely. I am a member of a band for which we just recorded an EP with a professional studio, that was far more useful than the studio module we're doing at the moment. Also working in the industry, for short films etc. has opened new opportunities for short festival films, and has been extremely valuable
Louie Taylor that being said, it’s a great environment to be in surrounded by talent and like minded people to collaborate with! And access to free facilities is pretty awesome to!
@@jchepher you make a great point, and i couldn't be luckier to have such great teachers, not to mention things like practice rooms computers with most things you need on etc.
Not true - we just had Nils Frahm and Olafur Arnalds in the last couple of months. Hans Zimmer the year before. Just waiting now for the Spitfire team to head on down and put on a show :)
@@yurigore6390 True, you couldn't talk to Hans, but he appears every now and then on a certain composer forum. Either way, there are plenty of Aussie composers around, so don't let the place you live in dictate what you can and can't do as a composer. I ended up scoring a tv theme for a middle eastern media company so who knew that was going to happen... not I. Just because you're not in London or L.A. doesn't mean a composer's life is out of the question, it just may be a different approach here in Australia.
Samuel Alcock then do be prepared to relocate . Biggest issue for us is remote assistants; it just doesn’t really work that well unfortunately, because the moment is always gone.
Christian Henson Music, You have no idea for how long I was waiting to hear that you would do a video approaching this topic. I would love to have the chance to work as a composer assistant. I was trying for so long to get in touch with you, but unfortunately not having your email address made all difficult. I would really like to get somehow in touch with you! Thank you.
Christian, just out of Curiosity. Which specific task are you looking for an assistant to cover in the moment? Not that I’m applying for a position, I unfortunately live too far away. Just interested in how your workflow with your assistant is. But I assume you already covered a lot of the tasks in this video?
Christian’s advice has only been wrong once. When he said “...and don’t listen to film music”. Honestly Christian, I don’t think I want to live in a world where I can’t listen to Ramin Djawadi’s work on Westworld at least three times a week. Go listen to Dr. Ford from season one and then I DARE you never to listen to it again!😁
This video resonates with my experiences. I reached out to a local AAA video game composer who I admire greatly. I simply wrote to him on Facebook and asked if I could be his assistant. He responded that he unfortunately didn’t have any need or time for an assistant in the moment. A couple of months later he wrote me back “Hey, now I actually need an assistant. Are you up for it?”
The skill set I have learned has , as you state in video Christian, very little to do with composing music. They include creating kontakt libraries with round robin, sampling, batch processing, audio processing, clear noise cancelling, sound design and correct file naming when handling hundreds of files.
All skills that I’m really glad that I now know, but would not have considered to be in the job description before hand. I am also very very careful not to step on anyone’s toes and do help in with some of the composing unless I’m specifically asked to.
I maintain the best way into this industry is to assist for composers several divisions above. This physical commitment not across cyberspace but in person will make you dine at the same table as them and be seen as a face by producers and directors. You will inevitably attend social events and have drinks with other assistants and members of the larger music and sound departments, say the pub after orchestral sessions. This gets you into the world without having to peddle your wares across the mass of the internet. Hence also my assertion that you need to be agreeable.... because once you're in the pub you need to be someone that people like having a drink with.
Wow that story is cool AF! Wish my social anxiety didn't stop me from going out there and trying.
@@definty If you love what you do then the people you meet will love that too.... when you're down in the pub with the sound and music crew you aint gonna be taking about chicks you're gonna be making jokes about frame and bit rates.... find your tribe.... there's a pint waiting for you.
Thank Christian :)
@@TheCrowHillCo Can I still do it if I don't drink :P? Or is it a problem :P?
I must've found myself in a very rare situation where I was OFFERED the job as a composer's assistant. This wasn't because I was brilliant in any way, It was because I made a genuine effort to become friends and really share an interest in what the composer and I liked, which in this case was Max Richter. At the start of next year, I'll be flying out to live in another country to learn from this composer. Even if he isn't very big. Hell, I doubt anyone here would know his name but to me, he got me to where I am today, quite literally. Getting experience with another composer is truly an experience I can't miss out on, hence why I'm taking a leap to move thousands of miles away to work with one. Christian put it best when he said "Just ask", and I keep telling my friends to just make chit-chat with composers they like, when they can. Mainly the smaller ones as I've found they're more accessible.
I'd be very surprised if people that follow this vlog didn't know Max Richter., what a shame that would be! Fair play to you Elliot and best of luck in your move!
00:24 - ouch! just look at how many a-list composers started off as composers assistants and you can see that it's definitely a route to the top. hans zimmer recounts a story of when he left ramin djawadi at the studio one night and came back the next morning to discover that ramin had been up all night composing and was blown away by how great the music was...especially as he didn't know ramin was a musician at the time. i don't know in what capacity ramin had been working for zimmer, but he saw an opportunity to make an impression and i guess the rest is history...
Ramin was mainly just making coffee and getting food and stuff for Hans' office I believe!! Insane.
My route to becoming a composer's assistant was through already being a studio (engineering) assistant at a small studio in Manhattan with great kit. The studio owner and producer decided he wanted to take his first holiday in 10 years-leaving me to run everything. The composer was visiting from California (San Fran) and brought with him all these amazing recordings (samples) he'd made of cell doors slamming and other assorted metal clammoring noises from Alcatraz! ... After the success of doing this and crossing over roles (because I was/am also musical and not just a technician) I became a person composers could feel comfortable working with..... ADAT's and all!! ... circa 1995... ha.
13:40 Such an important point, becoming detached from WORK and ditching that 30 seconds which just isn't working, and being comfortable with the process, separates the amateurs from the professionals. A good professional knows he can create something better and has no qualms with setting aside a failing piece and working towards something better.
Great video! This should be required viewing by ALL composer's assistants on their first day on the job. They don't step in to the studio until they've watched this and have taken notes.
I think it was Howard Jones who, when asked what advice he would give to young musicians starting out in the business, said, ‘don’t have a plan B because if you do, you will inevitably end up taking it.’ 35 years ago I had a brilliant opportunity to make music for a living, but I gave up too quickly when obstacles were put in my way and I took a safer option - my plan B. I followed my head instead of my heart. I can’t feel regretful about this because I might not have taken the path I did which gave me two wonderful daughters. However, if you really want something in life, don’t let anything put you off. Believe in yourself and stick at it. You will get there.
I can really relate to what you've said. Going into my senior years at school about 15 years ago music and composition were my absolute passion and yet, after receiving some words of advice to pursue another career, I applied and went to law school. Like you, i wouldn't say i regret that decision as it led to my wife and i meeting and we now have a young family. But with becoming a parent and as the kids start to ask about what we do for a job and if we enjoy it, the desire to be the best role model I can be for our children has me questioning why I didn't follow my dream and passion from an earlier stage. Based on my experience, in years to come I will be the first to encourage them to pursue the thing that they enjoy and have a love for. Leading by example is my justification for attempting to change career path from solicitor to the music profession. I am hoping to be able to work up and further develop my producing and programming skills in my small home studio to a point where I can hopefully be of some use as an assistant.
Christian, I only found your channel a few weeks ago and have been binge watching your vlogs since. This is a fantastic resource of information, and the insights you provide are so valuable - thank you!
Mark B This echos with me. I got a job in a small studio in the late 80’s. Still to this day the best job I have ever had. Loved every second of it. However, pressure from my parents to ‘Get a proper job’ eventually pushed me into the career I find myself today. One I don’t enjoy at all. I still do bits and bobs of various music projects but nowhere near as much as I’d like.
You could take Christian's words on people like Olafur, have a closeup on Oscar's heroic pose at 2:29, add music from any "inspiring speech" video here on TH-cam and I'd be motivated to do anything.
But this is fantastic. I am currently enrolled in a program where they are including classes in synthesis and sampling, and where one instructor's advice towards getting work was to get out there and network like crazy but not to "just hand out business cards left and right. Make friends, keep showing up to events, and wait." Delayed gratification. So good to hear that advice echoed on this channel, Christian.
Now hopefully I can just get the balls up to ask to be an assistant.
Perfect. I really am trying to get into the CA route next year and this has given me the boost in confidence I need going forward.
Hi Christian... cant express how much I appreciate these insights as a composer who has just finished their degree and embarking on their first commissioned works... the advice is spot on. Many thanks!
It was a Spitfire event (that I almost didn't go to!) that was the catalyst to me being introduced to the composers I work for now. Have learnt buckets in a relatively short time already. Moral of the story...go to everything!
Well done Christian. Always good to see you struggling with the hills and the words. Reminds me there are others out there that are also human and meek and struggling with the day to day.
Fab insights. Loving these vlogs 🎶👍🎄
This film was absolutely fantastic, Christian, cheers for putting it up! I have been trying to get a position as a composer's assistant for a while, now, and I have fond out that most composers will stick with people they know, and that makes absolute sense, for the very reasons you list in the film. I can understand that getting a new, unknown person in is terrifying, because, at the end of the day, they do not know who I am.
The last composer whom I asked to be an assistant actually thinks I do not need to be an assistant at all, which certainly is flattering, but I have this enormous will to learn about how to become a great Head of Department, first, and, of course, how to improve my tech skills, as well.
Another thing that makes it a bit more difficult to land a composer's assistant job, here in the UK, is that the majority of British composers utilise Logic, whereas I am a Cubase on Windows user (I shall be getting ProTools, as soon as the new version will be certified for the latest Windows update). A Mac is out of the question for me as I cannot afford one, at the moment, I am afraid.
Right now, I just keep going being a "bedroom recording artist", churning out tune after tune and the occasional album, and being very rubbish at marketing myself.
Awesome been waiting for this. Even tho I don't have the skills yet coming from a hip hop background I started sampling from vinyl will help me some how in the future. You have inspired me with sampling and sound design. This video was grade A. I needed this.
...and you are EXACTLY what a composer can use to bring some X factor to her/his work.... You learn applied composition whilst providing with a tired old soak some welcome zeitgeist.... it is like two people making gravy coming together and suddenly they both make gold!
These last 2 Vlogs have been very good and you have mentioned many things i have encountered as an assistant/Ghost and using assistants. You are getting to some really central issues.
It's interesting how things function differently in different places. I can totally imagine and understand situations where the amount of work and scheduling is so demanding that you'd want to have a person or persons right there in the room, or the next room, within shouting distance. But it really does seem to me the a huge amount of assistance being done out there now is via remote connections. Composers have lists of people they turn to for specific tasks (arranging, copying, laying down instrumental tracks, vocals, horn sections, string sections, etc., etc., etc.). You summon assistance similarly to the way you'd call an Uber or Lyft car. And, rather than have one assistant there who has a mixture of skills of varying degrees (and some holes where the skills don't exist at all), you can connect online with the exact person who can do a killer job at a specific task (booking an hour or two of their time, or perhaps days of their time). For instance, there are fantastic drummers out there with kits already set-up, mic'ed and dialed in. Send them your files with a temp drum track, and they'll cut the real thing for you. This exists for practically any instrument and specialty.
So, as an alternative to trying to find a composer who needs an assistant, another career option is to set up and market that remote service that's your specialty. (And, it's something you can do anywhere in the world.)
This is exactly that Christian! That's the points! Thank you to tell the difference as the truth. In our inner artwork-job as composer's assistant, composer, musician, sound technician, we must be meticulous for far... as Lace makers with hands... oh yes, that's takes (also will) several times but, at the end, the results is (t)here and fine. Isn't! Once again thank to you to don't loose the focus from our aim! I remember the first sentence from one my teacher at the Arts University 24 years ago... He said "We are here to slow down, to take time to learn, not spend! If you won't, don't make art, music...". That's still makes sense.
Have a nice day Christian.
Great stuff, Christian. i don't know if you realise but this kind of life experience applies across so many disciplines and could easily stand as a lesson in general attitude and approach to getting going.
Great video, for a long time I never knew this work existed. Hugely insightful.
Thank you very much. Soon I'll be out of school and this would help greatly indeed.
Loved this video, I would love even more if you could do some follow up videos about some skills we could develop to boost that percentage up a little
I think one caveat to add to this, is which of the two options is more viable from where you are geographically. The option of composers assistant just doesn't exist outside a select few cities where the industry flourishes. My experience as a composers assistant from my time in LA has left me with a handful of skills for which there are almost no outlets for in Toronto. On top of that i've noticed that local recording artists with no film credits and a passing interest in film scoring seem to be getting picked over seasoned, or at the very least, amateur composers time and again.
From whereI stand the "rockstar" path seems far more likely to allow you to fall into film scoring.
The psychoanalyst you mentioned was Ronald Fairbairn, himself an Edinburgh man.
Thank you for the lovely vlog Christian. Sigh 😔....wondering how i could be one, since i’m in Africa. The opportunities are quite few here. Its either we have a few number of composers dotted across africa or its you becoming one. The film industry here doesn’t incorporate the art of film composition into its products as much in comparison to other developed countries. Am really wondering, being this stuck, how do i get out of this one? Tried being my own artist and my work is absolutely unlistenable to the market here 🤣 oh jeez lol
What can you expect in terms of salary? As a scientist (or any other professional) who is learning and looking to break into the music/composing world this does seem like a great way in, but how many composers can afford to pay you? Would many composers require a full time assistant? It seems okay as a weekend commitment (a chance at which I would jump) or as a route for students fresh out of university, but unless it were part time on evenings/weekends, it may not be a viable option for some.
Great streams of thought in all your videos.
My 5yrs as assistant never lead to personal work but it was extremely educational
Well said, Christian.
Great video.
Informative and inspiring as always Christian - great vlog. I'd be interested to know if you think it's best to first make contact to a composer via phone or email. It seems like calling directly might irk the composer (or more likely, their management). However emails tend to get lost and forgotten about. Any thoughts on this?
Another fantastic video! But you forgot one key thing: location. The population of my country (Finland) is almost half as that of one city (London) in yours. Film composers over here are very rare, they have hard time subsisting their families let alone hire assistants.
Ok I can always move can I? No I can't: with three kids and a job in another field shackles me here. I'm left with any opportunities I can find online.
Btw could you do a video on pitching?
Very insightful! Thank you @christian
Been doing both... touring and ghosting. Most people don’t know what it takes to get somewhere in the industry. I can consider myself lucky at present time with gigs all around the world and doing some tracks in the background that end up being used by my favorite gaming blogs. But yes, it’s hard, whatever you choose.
hear hear.... what recording artists do makes us media composers look like work shy students.
Love this conversation!
“Welcome to the Shadows” You see, does this take into account the use of technology nowadays. I find that now you would be competing with people from Canada, Norway, etc. There is so much competition out there now, how do you begin to get yourself noticed? To hope you get noticed eventually surely has its limits, considering the amount of people who want the same as you. How to you get into the business, when the business doesn’t know you are there?
Nahos you make yourself be known. And the best way of doing this is relocating yourself in hubs and attending events. Reaching out directly to composers, their agents and being persistent. You will be competing with people who are hugely driven and are prepared to give up everything in order to succeed. It is a simple Darwinian formula be more driven, better qualified, more present, more persistent, more talented, more sociable, more determined and more willing to sacrifice than the next candidate. I have witnessed at close quarter young composers become AAA stars in their field and they have all had the same die hard zeal and razor sharp focus and devil may care attitude to their careers.
I do have Ableton but I only have the lite version and also i have studio one artist, not the upgraded version
Would you say that much of this advice applies to becoming an orchestrator specifically? I'm coming from more of a classical composition background and I think I'd be able to carve out a niche in that specific area, so any insights into that part of the world specifically would be amazing.
Thanks for taking the time to make such brilliant content Christian
So I understand the importance of knowing your DAW of choice really well, understanding Kontakt, sampling, mics, playing an instrument well, etc. But I was wondering how important it is to have a good portfolio? Would yourself (or indeed any other composers here) actually pay attention to that or does studio knowledge/ability completely overshadow any talent you may have as a composer? Basically what I’m saying is, am I wasting my time creating a good portfolio when I should really be focusing on other things? Forgetting of course that in the process of creating a portfolio I’ve actually learnt a lot about logic, kontakt, exs24, midi, and a bunch of others things.
As a composers assistant, should one expect to earn livable wages? I was hired as an assistant after university by a previous professor who is a successful orchestrator/moderately successful indie film composer. I feel that I’ve met and exceeded the assistant duties which you’ve outlined in this and previous vlogs, but work has been quite inconsistent and sporadic for the past 1.5 years of doing this. For instance, I would assist with an indie film and see it through to completion, and then not have any work for the next ~2 months before being asked to assist with another project. I am happy to climb the ladder slowly but surely whilst struggling financially, for many years if necessary, if it means accumulating the experience and qualifications necessary to one day reach my goal of being a head of department. I’m wondering if other assistants to composers are having similar experiences though, or if maybe it’s time to seek out a different/more successful composer to assist.
Well said. I mentioned Olafur briefly in my comment from your last VLOG, meaning that these are the people I look up to and admire. Would you say that a good assistant would be one that is happy in the shadows? One that feels more comfortable aiding others reach their goals? I agree with what you said about assistants only knowing 2-4% of what is required, now I want to know what the other 96-98% would be!
Thanks for this video Christian! I find your blogs very informative and helpful for insight into the industry. I'm not sure if I want to be a film composer, but currently I've been releasing my own albums and have just started to get some recognition for my work and I'm starting to get work for video game music composing. Do you have any advice on approaching AAA video game makers?
Be really interested in your thoughts on WorkLoads… with regard to both expectations of assistants, and also Re HOD's
Thanks for this Christian. Very informative.
Coming from a hobbyist background with nothing to offer but enthusiasm and a drive to learn, is it possible to get in with someone locally like yourself as that step into the industry? Sometimes I feel like it's really just up to me to crack on and pray one day that I'll be lucky enough to catch a break. However, I worry that when that time comes I'll be bloody clueless as I've never had first had experience of how it all works, just like you mention in the video.
Basically, does anyone really have the time to take someone under their wing and show them the ropes or am I being a bit unrealistic?
Thanks.
Delius ... and Fenby ... perhaps an example of how to be?
I did it in 1980's. Every week was more than 70-80hrs. Longest stint working was 40hrs straight. Boy did I get ripped off.
Thank You
Hi Christian! Totally different question, but didn't know where else to put it. What does your session look like when scoring, say, a complete half hour or so episode of something? I recently had so little time to score a short documentary that I put the whole film in one logic project and just used the same sounds throughout... And it worked surprisingly well!
At 3:21 and following, who is moving your camera backwards? Have you got Oscar well trained? (love the headless shot immediately before it as well...)
Charles Gaskell one of the key reasons i shoot at 4K is you can tilt crop and resize images in the edit without too much loss of resolution. So this is just a post production technique. The headless shot was not intentional!
Nice view
Love the tumble, hope it wasn’t into rabbit malteasers! Do you think age would limit getting a composers assistant gig?
Anyone want an assistant? Who's professionally a software engineer and a passionate mixing engineer? I found out long ago my calling wasn't my hobby, music production/mixing. Still, my calling is programming and I'm slowly teaching myself to code VSTs and I'm halfway into developing my first commercial plugin :) Just because hat I was studying and doing didn't straight relate to music I found a way to adapt it so it was related. I'm sure you can do this for a lot of jobs it jsut takes a bit of imagination.
I find this interesting, being a composers assistant seems really interesting to me. My problem being that where I am there is literally no composers around, I've made a great effort to try and find some. The very few that I have made contact with never get any work themselves or they do many other jobs to support themselves and don't get time to mentor anybody or have them as an assistant. Something I have been trying to do is actually get in contact with Olafur Arnalds. I really would been interested in having him as a teacher and being an assistant for him if I were able to go to europe in the near future.
(Hey Christian if you read this is there a way you could put me in contact with him?)
Alex Evans hi Alex I’m not at liberty to put you in touch with Olafur I’m afraid and I imagine he gets lots of approaches. You’d also need some form of work visa and a willingness to move to Iceland. The best way of approaching composers is directly via their websites or indeed through their management. Being “seen” on the “scene” is also really important I see many successful junior composers break through and onto music crews by attending seminars and queuing up at meet and greets. Going to screenings and awards ceremonies. This for me is why the assertion that you don’t need to be present geographically isn’t correct when applied to breaking into the industry. Where you settle is neither here nor there once you’re established but it is important to recognise where the hubs are and to move to one of those where possible. You must then be prepared to move to wherever these composers will need you which will often not be within these hubs but often just outside. So for me London and LA are destinations you must look to target. Remember that your “competition” so to speak will be made up of highly motivated, highly driven ambitious individuals who will go to great lengths and make huge sacrifices to succeed. Not everyone is cut out to work insane hours, not see friends and family and indeed make great demands on their mental and physical health in order to make it in a cut throat business. To be forewarned of this I think is important and to be convinced it is any different and there is any quick or easy route is to be misinformed and ill advised. I challenge anyone to find me a successful writer in the music industry, whether that be a recording artist or a media composer who hasn’t sweated blood and tears and hasn’t sacrificed and committed so much in order to succeed.
Christian Henson Music thanks for all the info, I have definitely come to terms with a lot of these things and they are definitely all sacrifices I am willing to make. In the meantime as I grow my career I do plan on making connections and putting myself out there. Being from Nova Scotia Canada a few years back we had a huge film tax cut which put quite the damper in the industry here on the bright side I work at a music store, so that has helps getting to talk to a few people in the industry here.
But thanks again for the kind words!
I’ll definitely be more social in the comments as well!
Is the nomenclature appropriate - I wonder? Given Christian's definition of a composer's assistant, it seems it is part personal assistant and part technician. Even when called to place some dots they are to be "in the style of" the composer - I would contend that is technical not creative. Perhaps something along the lines of "composition technician" or variants would be a more appropriate job position title and the employee's expectations.
In this situation, you are not the composer, you are the assistant, assisting them to achieve their current project. The job is not "composerly assistant", or even "assistant composer". There are roles where the assistant does more of the job than the main person - so an Assistant Organist in a cathedral will do more do-to-day playing of the organ than the main Organist - but generally being someone's assistant is all about looking after the person as much as it is looking after the work.
2:30 Oscar is admiring the horizon hehe remains me to Simba on the lion king
Looks as though he spot that Bunny woooooosh
Can I be your assistant? (Spitfire Widow) :D Thanks for always such insightful videos Christian, you're advice is so valuable to this community
How's the vloger's elbow Christian?
Great video christian. As a student at university, I would ask the same question about whether or not they're good for this sort of thing or not. I think in many ways the teaching is good, the facilities are amazing. However, the course content can be slightly irrelevant. I found this video immensely helpful, it's helped me gain a new outlook and understand the sort of things i need to be learning and raised the question whether or not I should do a film composition masters or just a composition. Anyway, i'm just saying cheers a lot really so thanks for reading that babble if you did. Peace
Louie Taylor, I completely agree with you when it comes to course content. I’m two years out of uni and I’m hardly applying what I learnt. I was an assistant with a producer for a year and that year was far more valuable.
@@jchepher Precisely. I am a member of a band for which we just recorded an EP with a professional studio, that was far more useful than the studio module we're doing at the moment. Also working in the industry, for short films etc. has opened new opportunities for short festival films, and has been extremely valuable
Louie Taylor that being said, it’s a great environment to be in surrounded by talent and like minded people to collaborate with! And access to free facilities is pretty awesome to!
@@jchepher you make a great point, and i couldn't be luckier to have such great teachers, not to mention things like practice rooms computers with most things you need on etc.
Would you rather work for a Delia Smith or a Gordon Ramsey ?
I think you'd learn more from GR.... DS will teach you how to make a nice melody, but she wouldn't teach you fuck all about how to run a kitchen....
How do you find ways to ask them. I'm from. Australia and composers never tour here for any reason.
Not true - we just had Nils Frahm and Olafur Arnalds in the last couple of months. Hans Zimmer the year before. Just waiting now for the Spitfire team to head on down and put on a show :)
@@PeterCavallo you're right actually, I stand corrected. I don't know about the other two though, but you couldn't talk to Hans when he came.
@@yurigore6390 True, you couldn't talk to Hans, but he appears every now and then on a certain composer forum. Either way, there are plenty of Aussie composers around, so don't let the place you live in dictate what you can and can't do as a composer. I ended up scoring a tv theme for a middle eastern media company so who knew that was going to happen... not I. Just because you're not in London or L.A. doesn't mean a composer's life is out of the question, it just may be a different approach here in Australia.
Kestral Hill? ;-)
I guess the only question I have after this video is... Christian, do you need an assistant?
do you need an assistant?
YES.... do you live in Edinburgh!!??
@@TheCrowHillCo Unfortunately no :( I live in Southampton, literally the other end. Thanks for actually replying though I wasn't expecting that lol.
Samuel Alcock then do be prepared to relocate . Biggest issue for us is remote assistants; it just doesn’t really work that well unfortunately, because the moment is always gone.
Christian Henson Music, You have no idea for how long I was waiting to hear that you would do a video approaching this topic. I would love to have the chance to work as a composer assistant. I was trying for so long to get in touch with you, but unfortunately not having your email address made all difficult. I would really like to get somehow in touch with you! Thank you.
Christian, just out of Curiosity. Which specific task are you looking for an assistant to cover in the moment?
Not that I’m applying for a position, I unfortunately live too far away. Just interested in how your workflow with your assistant is.
But I assume you already covered a lot of the tasks in this video?
Christian’s advice has only been wrong once. When he said “...and don’t listen to film music”.
Honestly Christian, I don’t think I want to live in a world where I can’t listen to Ramin Djawadi’s work on Westworld at least three times a week. Go listen to Dr. Ford from season one and then I DARE you never to listen to it again!😁